BRISTOL, Maine — Restoration efforts in Bristol to fix one of Maine's most familiar historic buildings are complete.
The old Fog Bell House at Pemaquid Point suffered heavy damage after its wall was ripped open during a gnarly storm in January.
The bell house, which sits beside the famous Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, is visited by thousands each year. For generations, it was a spot where people would shelter from the wind while watching surf during a storm.
During the damaging January storm, the bell house's front wall and an end wall caved in. Its notable bell, known for hanging outside on the wall facing the ocean, was inside the building underneath a pile of bricks and broken wood when the storm passed through.
Bristol Parks and Recreation Director Shelley Gallagher told NEWS CENTER Maine the bell was already inside the bell house before the storm.
"We had cut it down in August because the beam it was on had rotted and was not safe," Gallagher told NEWS CENTER Maine in April. "It was very lucky it was inside because if it was hanging where it had been it probably would have been lost."
On the day of the storm, wind gusts at Pemaquid Point reached up to 68 MPH.
Restoration efforts to fix the historic building began in April.
Gallagher said the mason who repaired the building's brick would create a wooden box-like structure inside to stabilize the building during restoration.
The brickwork restoration itself wouldn't begin until early to mid-May once the weather warmed up.
"We will be using all of the original bricks as well as others the mason found from the same time period to make up for the bricks that were lost or damaged," Gallagher explained in April. "The work will be done with the building in place so he will build up the two walls that are missing, then will begin to remove sections at a time and rebuild those sections until all of the walls have been repaired. There are no walls that do not need to be repaired so all of the bricks will be coming out and being redone."
A new beam, windows, roof, and door were also installed.
Back in April, Gallagher said the bell house was expected to look almost exactly the same as it did before.
Flash forward to September and the bell house is back to its former glory.
"We are thrilled to say that construction is now done from all of the January storm damage we suffered in our parks," Gallagher told NEWS CENTER Maine on Friday. "We have been very fortunate to have the support of so many people as we have been going through the lengthy process of repairing everything that was damaged."
Gallagher called it a "miracle" that the bell house was still standing after the storm so it could be repaired and wasn't lost to history forever.
Larry Luce Masonry and D&D Construction Group worked together to bring the bell house "back to life," according to Gallagher.
The mason who helped restore the bell house added additional strengthening within the bricks to help the structure withstand future storms.
"So it can withstand storms for the next 125 years like it did its first 125," Gallagher said.
Fiberglass rebar was installed between the layers as well as stainless steel turnbuckles that were run up through the roof beams, bolted, and then bolted into the foundation.
Additionally, Round Pond Marine Services lent a crane to help install a new beam donated by local sawyer Peter MacCready.
A beam that the old bell now hangs upon for all to see.
PHOTOS: Historic Maine bell house fully restored after damaging storm ripped it apart
Bristol Parks and Recreation will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Old Fog Bell House at noon on Saturday, Sept. 14.
"It is also a celebration of all of the repairs to Pemaquid Beach and Pemaquid Lighthouse Park that have been completed in the 8 months since the storm hit," Gallagher said.
You can join the event at Pemaquid Lighthouse Park located at 3115 Bristol Rd. in Bristol.
